DEM FRANCHIZE BOYZ Get Down to Business With No. 1 Smash 'I Think They Like Me'

NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 16, 2005 -- Representing the Westside of Atlanta, and with
platinum-plus stars Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Bow Wow guesting, So So
Def/Virgin hip-hop quartet DEM FRANCHIZE BOYZ have proven themselves the
breakout act of fall with their single, "I Think They Like Me (Remix)." The
track has taken the No. 1 position in the mainstream urban radio format,
following two months of weekly double-digit airplay increases, with solid
Southern coverage branching out nationally. "I Think They Like Me" is also
No. 1 on Billboard's Top Rap Singles, a unit sales chart. The song is
headed toward the national top 10 in the rhythmic crossover radio format,
and is bulleting in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 national singles
chart. Virgin Records President, Urban Music, Jermaine Dupri commented on
the broad impact of the group: "I'm so excited. DEM FRANCHIZE BOYZ is a new
group brought in when I came over to Virgin. So their success means that
this is just the beginning -- and there's a lot more to come."

"I Think They Like Me (Remix)" is originally taken from the So So
Def/Virgin various-artist collection "Jermaine Dupri Presents...Young, Fly
& Flashy, Vol.1 -- the first album released under So So Def's joint
venture with Virgin. The track leads several Southern hip-hop tunes onto
the national chart, in a newly emerging club-oriented style that's been
tagged "snaps" music by street-level music lovers. The "snaps" style strips
even further the sparse but accessible electronic sound of the massively
popular "crunk," focusing on vocal hooks, undeniable drumbeats and
extremely minimal but ingenious special effects. The resulting dance floor
vibe has been described by producers, disc jockeys and dancers alike as
compulsively rhythmic -- and also oddly intimate. (Other hit tunes in the
"snaps" style include "Wait [The Whisper Song]" by the Ying Yang Twins and
D4L's "Laffy Taffy.") Virgin Records Executive Vice President, Urban Music,
Lionel Ridenour said: "I'm sure this will be the first of many No. 1s
for DFB and the 'snaps' music movement." The first album by DEM FRANCHIZE
BOYZ, titled "ON TOP OF OUR GAME," will be released on So So Def/Virgin on
February 7th, 2006.

DFB, composed of Gerald "Buddie" Tiller, Bernard "Jizzal Man" Leverette,
Maurice "Parlae" Gleaton, and producer Jamal "Pimpin" Willingham, are on
the road to reinforce their group's brand-name "franchize" in a continuing
promo tour that will dovetail with the group's opening spot on the
late-December leg of track guest and fellow Atlanta star Bow Wow's national
tour.

Dedicated to educating the world about the Atlanta lifestyle, signs and
symbols of DEM FRANCHIZE BOYZ' smooth, soulful, laid-back brand of Southern
crunk culture abound in the bouncing hit video for "I Think They Like Me"
directed by Juwan Lee and Benny Boom, also co-directors of the current
Ebony Eyez video "Take Me Back." The clip has been No.1 for an impressive
two weeks on the voter-driven video countdown on BET's "106th and Park,"
and is in high rotation on MTV2. The video is also the No. 6 most-viewed
urban video on Yahoo! Music's website and rising in the top 20 on the
all-genre chart. (Benny Boom is also the director of recent hit videos by
50 Cent, Ciara, Nas, Nelly, Joung Jeezy, Pussycat Dolls and Keyshia Cole,
among others).

DEM FRANCHIZE BOYZ' first national hit, "White Tee's," enjoyed a 20-week
run on the Billboard Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, peaking at No. 25 in fall 2004. While promoting
their first major album, the No. 18 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album "Dem Franchize
Boyz" (Universal, 2004), the group impressed Jermaine Dupri with their
self-contained writing, producing and performing skills, and were signed to
his So So Def/Virgin label.